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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0730.036 2008-2010Murashige, Laura From: Shane_Rumsey @nps.gov Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 1:28 PM To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us Subject: Support for RESOLUTION NO 308 10 Support for RESOLUTION NO 308 10 I write to you today to support Resolution no 308 10 that will: Thank you, Shane Rumsey Archeologist Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park P.O. Box 129, Hwy. 160 Honaunau, HI 96726 808 - 328 -2326 x 1411 4/6/2010 REC RPR 6 PPI. 2 32 CC)1 JI : 'r i .OUNV" ; ,F HAWAII Page 1 of 1 PIGouMcar Within the state of Hawaii, our marine aquarium fish numbers are in decline. Past efforts through Fish Replenishment Areas and Marine Life Conservation districts have assisted with decreasing fishing pressures within these areas where fish are abundance is recovering, but areas outside of FRA's and MLCD's are declining as fishing pressure has increased. Even with current management in place to help rebuild stocks, open areas have seen'a 46 percent decline in yellow tang abundance in the last decade. We need resolution 308 10. The concepts within Resolution no 308 10 have been vetted in the public and is fully supported by the West Hawaii Fisheries Council. Res. No 308 10 is not trying to close the fishery, but is away to better manage it as current levels of aquarium fishing are unsustainable even with the current 34% of the coastline off limits to fishing. 1. Implement adaptive management of the Fish Replenishment Areas which specifically allows a reef area at Pebble Beach South Kona to be closed to aquarium collecting while opening a similarly sized area at Keauhou for limited collecting by lottery thus maintaining a balanced proportion of open to closed fish collection areas 2. Create a tropical fish white list specifying which species can be collected for the aquarium trade and a bag limit for large reproductively mature yellow tang and 3. Propose Limited Entry regulations for West Hawaii that would ensure participation in fish collection for the aquarium industry requires a high level of skill experience and regulatory compliance by fishers protects the economic value of the reefs and their marine life and provides economic incentive to fishers to promote good stewardship of the reefs Comm. No 130.3(p Ref. To: / Ref. Date . APR U LU1U